Merlins Wand
by Bekah1
Summary: Yes I have finally updated. Please read and review. Happy to take suggestions
1. The Birthday

Disclaimer: I don't own it.  
  
  
"Kill the spare!"  
"Nooooooooooooo!"  
Harry woke up with a start, hoping that he hadn't screamed out loud. Waking up the Dursleys again was not something Harry looked forward to. Luckily Harry didn't here anything except for Dudley's snoring in the next room. He sat up in bed trying to calm down. He looked down at his repaired clock that read 11:47 pm.  
Harry decided to stay awake because his birthday was only 13 minutes away. He rubbed the lightning scar on his forehead debating whether he should write to Dumbledore about it. After all it was a dream about Voldermort, but he had told Dumbledore about this one already.  
A tapping at the window knocked Harry out of his personal debate with himself. He went over and opened the window and in flew five owls and much to Harry's surprise, a golden phoenix. They all were carrying packages addressed to Harry.  
Harry turned to the smallest owl that was darting around the room hooting loudly.  
"Shhhhhh!" Harry whispered. "Do you want to wake the Durslys?"  
Harry grabbed the owl and put a rubber band over its mouth to keep it shut. He then took the package and the letter off the owl's leg.  
Dear Harry,  
Happy birthday mate! How are the muggles treating you? How's your scar doing? No dreams I hope. Mom wrote to Dumbledore and he said you could come to the Burrow. So we'll pick you up at 2 o'clock this afternoon. See you then.  
Ron  
Harry smiled. Only a few more hours then a Dursley free summer. He turned to the small square package next to the muted owl. He opened it and a small metal cube fell out along with a small piece of parchment.  
Harry, this is a dragon cube. Just say "vision revealus" and a hologram of a dragon will appear. It's life size so be careful. To bad you can't use it to scare Dudley.  
Ron  
Harry grinned and set the cube down on his dresser next to his photo album. He then turned to another owl with a letter that Harry recognized as Hermione's handwriting.  
Dear Harry,  
Happy birthday! How are you? Is your scar hurting? Remember, the minute it does, owl Dumbledore. I heard that you're going to stay at the Burrow. I'm going to meet you there. We'll be able to study for the O.W.L's together. See you then  
Love,  
Hermione  
He picked up his present obviously a book. He took of the wrapper to fin "Advanced Dueling" by, Ican Duck. Just like Hermione to think of Harry's worries. He smiled and turned to a stately brown owl with a large package. He opened it the find three separate gifts from the Weasleys. There was an assortment of pies and snacks from Mr. And Mrs. Weasley. He opened a large package from the twins and laughed. There was a collection of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes with a piece of parchment.  
Hi Harry,  
These are just a few results of your investment. We are also proud to inform you that you are now partners in our fine corporation. Happy Birthday!  
Fred and George  
P.S. We got Ron new dress robes. We're going to sneak them into his truck before school.  
Harry grinned and turned to Ginny's present. He opened it to find a small necklace. On it was a small glass ball filled with a silver mist.  
Dear Harry,  
Happy birthday. The orb on this necklace holds a protection charm. It's not very strong, but I thought it might help a little.  
Love,  
Ginny  
Harry then opened the other two gifts. One was from Hogwarts giving him the information for the next school year and informing him that, surprise, he had made prefect along with Hermione, Ron, and Lavender Brown. From Sirius and Lupin he got a gift certificate to Quality Quiddith supplies. Finally he turned to the golden phoenix that was waiting patiently. All that it was carrying was a long box with a note that simply said "To Harry."  
He looked at the box with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. He opened it and strangely enough, inside was a wand.  
That's odd. It looks exactly like mine." He thought.  
Intrigued, Harry picked up the wand and was immediately engulfed in a golden light. 


	2. The Heirloom

Disclaimer: don't own it  
  
Chapter 2   
Harry shut his eyes against the blinding light.  
"It's alright Harry. You can open your eyes. The light has dimmed." A voice said.  
Harry reluctantly did so. The sight that he saw astonished him. Sitting in front of him were five people dressed in ancient robes. They were in, what looked like the Great Hall only slightly smaller.  
"What do you want?" Harry said. He was beginning to panic.  
"Calm down." A woman in yellow said. " We would just like to give you some information."  
The oldest man, who was dressed in light blue, stood up.  
" Welcome to the castle of Merlin Harry. Allow me to introduce us all. I am Merlin, next we have Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin."  
Harry realized that his mouth was hanging open. He snapped it shut before stuttering,  
"H..h..o..w? W..hh..y?  
All five chuckled before Godric stood up.  
"This may come as a shock to you Harry, but you are heir to us all. Not even your parents knew of this connection. James only knew he was heir to Gryffindor and knew nothing of Merlin. Your connection to all five of us allows you the special ability to contact us."  
Harry was trying to accept all this information. It was hard to believe and yet Harry somehow knew it was true. He looked up to his ancestors.  
" Why am I here? I know how I got here, but why am I here in the first place?"  
Rowena Ravenclaw spoke, "We brought you here to give you your gifts. We are giving you all the knowledge that we possess. And, in Merlin's case, his wand as well."  
Harry looked at the wand he held. He was now in possession of the wand that had once belonged to the most powerful wizard in history. The Five looked at him and smiled. They then stood. Raising their hands, Merlin said a spell in an ancient language and a small ball of light appeared.  
"This is our knowledge and power. You will have the ability for wandless magic, the ability to talk to all animals, become multi-animangus, ancient knowledge of spells and curses, and an ancient elemental." Salazar said.  
Harry nodded slowly and the Five smiled. They placed the ball of light onto his head. Harry felt a tingling sensation run throughout his body. After the feeling passed, he opened his eyes and found himself back in his room at Privet Drive. He looked over at his clock, which showed that five hours of sleep before Aunt Petunia would be waking him up. 


	3. The Next Morning

Disclaimer: I don't own it  
  
Chapter 3  
"Wake up! Get down stairs and cook breakfast!" Aunt Petunia screeched thru the door.  
Harry moaned. Strangely enough he didn't feel tired just the thought of seeing Dudley so early in the morning wasn't sounding very appealing. Then he remembered; he was going to Ron's today. With that happy thought in mind Harry sat up and reached for his glasses.  
"AHHHHH!" Harry screamed.  
In front of him were five animals. The golden phoenix from the previous night, a badger, snake, eagle, and the most surprising of all" a small griffin cub. He noticed a small piece of parchment and picked it up.  
Good Morning Harry,  
These are your animal guardians. Loyal only to you and immune to most curses and spells, these will be important as you discover your new powers. As stated last night, you have the ability to converse with them as well as other animals. The phoenix is named Cinder, the snake is Target, the badger is Tumble, the eagle is Glider, and the griffin is Reagent. Use them wisely.  
The Five  
Harry turned to his new pets.  
"Well hello then."  
"Good morning master." They coursed.  
" Harry is just fine. You all may go hunting if you wish."  
" Thank you." And they were gone with a 'pop.'  
Harry got up and got dressed. He went to the bathroom to wash up. Looking up he was startled to see his scar was a dull gold while his eyes were glowing a deep and yet still bright, emerald color. He watched as his appearance faded back to normal, but wondered all the same about why it happened. He shrugged it off and went downstairs.  
"What took you so long boy?" Uncle Vernon said.  
"Sorry Uncle Vernon."  
"Well get to making breakfast. Not all of us have the luxury of sitting around all day."  
"Yeah everyone except Dudley." Harry thought to himself. In fact, Harry probably worked harder in a single day then Dudley had in his entire life. It didn't matter anyway, he was leaving today. Harry thought he'd just leave that piece of information out until the Weasley's arrived.  
"AHHHHHH!!" Aunt Petunia yelled.  
Harry turned around and had to bite back a laugh. His animals were sitting in the corner of the kitchen eating their prey. Aunt Petunia looked as though she was going to faint while Uncle Vernon was turning purple with rage. He turned to Harry who couldn't hold it, and was laughing madly.  
"GET THOSE THINGS OUT OF MY HOUSE! AND DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU BRINGING ANYMORE WEIRD CREATURES INTO THIS HOUSE!"  
"Well I'll take them up to my room, but I'm not getting rid of them." Harry said simply.  
"WHY YOU..." Uncle Vernon said coming towards Harry. However, he stopped when the animals appeared in front of Harry not looking very happy. Uncle Vernon froze while shooting Harry a threatening glare. Harry, however, had turned his attention to his animals.  
"Cinder, Target, Tumble, Glider, Reagent." He called in their respective languages. " It's okay. Just follow me back to my room. The can't hurt me." With that Harry turned up the stairs leaving behind three speechless Dursleys.  
Harry spent the rest of the time at the Dursleys packing everything into his trunk and practicing his new powers. He cast a protecting spell over his room so the ministry couldn't monitor the under age magic Harry was doing. By the time 2 o'clock came around, Harry had already mastered his air element. It had taken him a little while, but he had finally created a small tornado in the middle of his room.  
Waving his hand he dispersed the storm and took his things down stairs.  
"Where do you think your going?" growled Uncle Vernon.  
"Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm leaving today. The Weaslys are picking me up."  
"When are they coming? They had better arrive the normal way."  
As if on cue, Mr. Weasley came tumbling out of the fireplace, quickly followed by Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.  
"Hey Harry!" they coursed.  
"Hi guys. I'm ready to go."  
"Hold on Harry." Mr. Weasley said. " We have to wait for your escorts. With You Know Who on the loose Dumbledore isn't taking any chances with you safety."  
"Why is it always me?" Harry grumbled.  
"Load of rubbish!"  
Harry jumped. He had forgotten about Uncle Vernon. He turned to comment, but Mr. Weasley began first.  
"And what exactly is rubbish?"  
"This whole business about You Know You and protection for the boy. All it means is that there will be more freaks in my house!"  
"You are gravely mistaken. With the return of You Know Who, no muggle or wizard, especially Harry, is safe."  
"What exactly is so special about him?" Uncle Vernon said, pointing at Harry.  
"He is special because he defeated You Know Who once before. Because of this Harry is now his number one target. He knows that Harry is the only one who can defeat him, so whether you like it or not, Harry is a very powerful wizard that may one day save your family."  
Uncle Vernon was white. Out of all the answers, he surely didn't expect that one."  
"Bloody hell."  
"My thought exactly." A voice behind Harry said.  
Harry turned to see Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and a great shaggy, black, dog.  
"Snuffles! What are you doing here?" Harry said as he walked over to the trio. He gave the dog a large hug. However, instead of the black dog, in its place was the man known as Sirius Black.  
"Well Harry, we are your escorts." Sirius said. He glanced over at Uncle Vernon and the rest of the Dursleys who were shrinking back in fear. "So you must be the Dursleys."  
"Yes." Uncle Vernon squeaked.  
"Oh." Sirius turned back to Harry. "Now I know I gave you your present already, but I thought that this might brighten your day.  
He reached into his robes and brought out a newspaper. Harry let out a whoop as he read the headline;  
PETER PETTIGREW CAPTURED; SIRIUS BLACK RELEASED  
Sirius grinned at Harry's reaction.  
"This means that you can live with me at =Black Manor. If you want to of course."  
"Of course I want to Padfoot."  
"Well," Dumbledore was saying, "I do believe we should be getting back before Molly begins to panic."  
"Good thinking sir."  
"INCENDIO."  
"Alright Arthur and Remus will go first followed by Sirius and Harry. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron are next and then I'll apparate." Dumbledore said. "Is that understood?"  
"Yes sir."  
They each grabbed a pinch of floo powder and threw it in the fire. They all flood to the Burrow and were swept up in a hug by Mrs. Weasley. 


	4. The Burrow

Disclaimer: I don't own it  
Thanks to everyone who sent me reviews by the way :)  
  
Chapter 4  
"Oh how are you Harry? My how you've grown. Come, come lunch is waiting."  
They all walked into the kitchen and saw a table filled with food and occupied by Fred, George, and Percy.  
Suddenly Harry had an idea and pulled Sirius and Lupin aside.  
"You guys know that Fred and George idolize the Maurders. Maybe we could have a little fun. Slip your nicknames into the conversation and see what happens." Harry said with twinkling eyes.  
Sirius and Lupin both had a wicked glint in their eyes. They both nodded and the trio went back to the table to eat.  
Hermione was trying to explain how to use a dishwasher to M. Weasley. Fred and George were sneaking hexed food onto Percy's plate while he was talking to Dumbledore. (Something about higher prefect requirements?) Mrs. Weasley was pilling food onto everyone's plates while fussing over Ginny.  
"Come sit down you three."  
The attention was turned back to Harry and for the next fifteen minutes, he was interrogated about how his summer went. Finally, after everyone had the story (minus Harry's new powers) Harry finally got to eat.  
"Padfoot, can you pass me the potatoes please."  
"Sure thing Harry. Hey Moony, pass me the tea."  
"Why it's right next to you."  
"Yea, but I just wanted you to help me." Sirius said with a grin. "Besides, it's pay back for all the times I was hit by the Whomping Willow helping you."  
"Oh no you don't Padfoot. Don't bring that up. Besides Prongs got whacked a whole lot more than you did so don't complain."  
Fred and George just kept on eating, oblivious to this conversation. Sirius and Lupin turned to Harry who smiled and shrugged. Ron and Hermione had caught on to their game and were practically rolling on the floor laughing at the twins. Ginny was just looking confused. Sirius's eyes suddenly lit up with an idea and he turned and whispered something in Moony's ear. We he turned away both had the same glint in their eyes as Fred and George did when they were up to something.  
"Hey Prongs Jr. You aren't going to continue the Maurders? Our hearts are breaking."  
"Your father would be so ashamed."  
The word ' Maurders' caught the twin's attention. They look at each other then looked at Harry before turning To Moony and Padfoot.  
"You know the Maurders?" they asked in Unison.  
"Yes as a matter of fact. Let me introduce Mr. Moony and more importantly me. Padfoot."  
The twins' jaws were practically on the floor. Harry couldn't take it, he just burst out laughing. The twins turned with a mock look of betrayal on their face.  
"You knew?"  
"Of course I knew. My Dad was the one and only Prongs."  
"Your dad was Prongs? You lucky b..."  
"FRED!"  
"Sorry mum."  
"You guys are our heroes. All the stuff you did set a standard for all future pranksters. May we have you autographs?"  
Padfoot and Moony grinned and signed the pieces of parchment with great flourish. George and Fred looked like they had just beaten Slytherin for the Quidditch cup.  
"Padfoot sir?" George asked, "Well if your Padfoot, Lupin's Moony, and Harry's dad is Prongs, who is Wormtail?"  
At the mention of that name, Sirius face dropped to an enraged state. The twins backed down when Sirius actually growled. Harry sensed that an outburst was coming and tried to explain before Sirius yelled at them.  
"He's the one who betrayed my parents."  
"THAT RAT!"  
Fred and George immediately looked sorry for bringing the subject up.  
"Sorry Harry."  
"It's all right, you didn't know."  
"Alright." Ron said, "How bout those Chudley Canon's huh?"  
At this everyone laughed. "Leave it to Ron to use Quiddtch to break up the tension." Harry thought.  
This began a lengthy discussion over who would make it to the World Cup and what the scores would be. Ron loyally stood by the Canons even though at the present time they were in last place.  
Mrs. Weasley suddenly appeared with a large, three, layer cake. Harry was shocked. True, he had received birthday cakes before, but he had never had the chance to enjoy them with his friends. They finished singing 'happy birthday' to him and he blew out the candles.  
"Whacha wish for?" asked Ron.  
"Well If I told you then it won't come true."  
In reality, Harry didn't want then to know that he had wished for; an end to his nightmares. He looked to Dumbledore who smiled knowingly. Harry smiled back and turned to take a bite out of his cake.  
"Well Harry," Sirius was saying, "I know I already gave you a present, but I can't help but spoil you soooo here you go."  
He handed Harry a long slim box and when Harry opened it, he gasped along with the others in the room. Sitting in the box was a magnificent broom. He had never seen one like it.  
"It's the new Lightning Bolt 3500. It's specifically designed for seekers. It's not available in stores yet, but the Ministry owed me a favor. I thought it was fitting."  
He had barely managed the last sentence when Harry ran up and hugged him."  
"Harry.....breath."  
"Sorry. Thank you so much, but I couldn't accept this. I mean you already bought me the Firebolt which still works fine."  
"Are you crazy?!" Ron said or rather yelled. "Imagine the look on Malfoy's face when you fly out on that broomstick."  
"Yeah Harry. Please accept it."  
"Alright Sirius, on one condition. You have to come to the match against Slytherin."  
Sirius grinned, "Deal. Wouldn't miss the look on Snape's face for anything."  
"All right. Let's go try it out."  
At this Dumbledore stood up.  
"I am sorry Harry but I must say no to that. I have something to discuss with everyone before I return to Hogwarts."  
Harry was disappointed but smiled and nodded anyway. It must be important is it involved everyone after all.  
"They moved out to the den and sat down.  
"With the return of Voldermort (*flinch*) certain procedures must be taken. Sirius and Remus will be returning to Hogwarts as the new Dark Arts professors. Sirius will assist Remus and will teach it when Remus is indisposed. Next, starting tomorrow, all of you will begin defense training. Even though the Ministry does not believe in the return of Voldermort, they have given me a special permit to train you six. Do you understand?"  
"Yes." They all chorused. They all treated this message with great importance. Even the twins were serious.  
"Well then, off to bed. We have a big day tomorrow so see that you get a lot of rest." Dumbledore said looking directly at Harry.  
Harry and Ron turned up the stairs to a door labeled 'Ronald's Room.' Ron went in first and Harry followed. However, Ron had stopped so Harry had crashed into his back.  
"Ron you git! Move!"  
Ron moved forward avoiding the middle of the room. When Harry saw why, he just had to laugh. Sitting there like they owned the place were all Harry's animals, with the exception Cinder and Reagent.  
"Ron, I see you've meet my animals. That's Target, Tumble, and Glider." He said, pointing to each animal. " I got them over break."  
He turned to Target. Ron already knew that Harry was a Parselmouth so it wouldn't be suspicious if he heard Harry talking to him.  
"Where'sssss Cccinder and Reagent?"  
"Their both hunting masssster."  
"Good. The rest of you can too. Tell the others to keep themselves hidden. No one can know about my powers yet okay?"  
"Yesssss masssster."  
With a 'pop' the animals left. Startling Ron.  
"They went hunting." Harry explained.  
"Where did you get them?"  
"It's a long story. I can't tell it to you now. I have to wait till we get to Hogwarts okay?"  
"Fine Harry. Good-night."  
"Goodnight."  
Harry settled down and fell asleep hoping his wish would come true.   
However, it was not meant to be... 


	5. The Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own it  
  
Chapter 5  
"Wormtail."  
"Yes me Lord."  
"Potter has moved. Now is the time to strike."  
"But my Lord, he is surrounded by four fully trained wizards."  
"Are you questioning my judgement?"  
"No Master."  
"I see that even though I managed to help you escape, you are not thankfull."  
"No Master, I am thankful, and will do as you say."  
"See to it Wormtail."  
"Yes Master."  
"Oh by the way..."  
"Yes..."  
"CRUCIO!"  
"AHHHHHH!!!!!"  
"Harry wake up. It's only a dream."  
"What?"  
"You had a nightmare and a bad one at that."  
"Where's Dumbledore?"  
"Dumbledore? Why?"  
Harry didn't answer. He rushed passed Ron as ran downstairs.  
"Dumbledore!! Death Eaters!!"  
That one phrase sent the household into action. Everyone grabbed their wands and stood poised for an attack. They didn't have to wait long.  
BANG!  
The front door was blown off it's hhinges and about twenty five Death Eaters stormed inside.They pauses at the sight of Dumbledore because they had not been expecting him. However, the moment passed and curses were flying. 


	6. The Attack

Disclaimer: I don't own it  
Chapter 5  
Harry watched everything in slow motion. His anger began to rise. How dare they attack his family on his birthday no les. Harry didn't know that his eyes were glowing the bright emerald green. The only one who noticed was Ginny who was ducking behind the couch.  
"What in the world?" she thought.  
The thought had barely crossed her mind when Harry sprung into action.  
"STUPTIFY!"  
Normally that spell would have caused one death eater to be stunned. However, Harry had felt his power growing. When he cast the spell, 10 death eaters were thrown against the far wall.  
Harry took no notice and disarmed all of them. He cast an ancient binding spell that their fellow death eaters couldn't break.  
The battle was short and before long, members of the Magical Law enforcement team were escorting all the death eaters to the Ministry.  
When they had all left, the occupants of the Burrow began repairs on the house. However, Ginny wasn't going to forget what Harry did.  
"How did you do that Harry?"  
"Do what?" Harry said calmly.  
"Freeze 10 death eaters with one spell."  
Harry froze and looked up. He didn't want his secret to be out so soon. It was his one secret that he had for himself.  
"Are you sure I did it?"  
"Positive." She said firmly. "Your eyes glowed bright green then you said the spell and the death eaters were thrown against the wall."  
Harry sighed and turned to the group.  
"I can't tell you that right now. It's of vital importance that you don't know because if you do, you endanger yourself. Do you understand?"  
The group looked at each other and slowly nodded.  
Dumbledore stood, "Alright then Harry, I'm sure you'll tell us all when you're ready. Now off to bed everyone, I need to speak with Molly and Arthur."  
"Yes professor." They chorused. 


	7. Explanations

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Every brilliant character belongs to the one and only J.K Rowling.  
  
Chapter 6  
The children walked out of the kitchen and headed up to Ron's room in silence. Once they were inside Hermione, Ron, and Ginny turned on him.  
"Explain! Now!"  
" As I told Dumbledore, I can't because it will endanger everyone."  
" When has that ever stopped you? You have managed to get us into trouble every year. We can help if you just tell us." Hermione said.  
"I can tell you only when the time is right. Besides I'm not really sure what happened myself."  
"Liar." Ginny said quietly.  
The trio turned to look at Ginny.  
"You know exactly what happened, you just don't want to tell us. Something is different about you Harry. I'm not exactly sure what it is yet, but with Hermione's brain, Ron's stubbornness, and my determination we'll find out eventually. It is just easier to tell us you know."  
Harry stared. Ginny had a way of getting way to close to the truth. Harry was surprised that Ginny was that intuitive. He obviously had misjudged Ginny by a lot. He looked around and saw three determined faces staring back at him and sighed.  
"Fine." He agreed. "But this information must not leave this room. Is that clear?"  
The three nodded and then leaned in to hear better.  
Harry then set back and repeated his story. However, he left out the fact that he now had Merlin's wand instead of his own. (It's better if they didn't know, Harry reasoned. There is always the threat of a truth potion being used against them.) At the end of the tale, his three friends were staring back at him with shocked expressions. How were they supposed to respond to something like that?  
"Well?" Harry said. "Say something."  
" That explains a lot." Ron said.  
"I quite agree." Said Hermione.  
Ginny could only shrug.  
"This isn't going to change anything is it?" Harry asked nervously. He hated when people acted different around him.   
" Not a thing." Ron said right away. " But, can we call you Mr. Gryffindor now?"  
" If you do, I'll hex you into next year." Harry said with a smile.   
"Right then. How 'bout those Cannons."  
That simple comment broke the tension in the room and the group began to laugh. Ron and Harry began their usual discussion while Hermione and Ginny discussed the lessons for next year. They were soon interrupted when a knock sounded at the door. It opened to reveal Professor Dumbledore smiling.  
"Professor Dumbledore!" Ron said. "Come right in."  
"Thank you very much." Dumbledore answered. He stepped into the room and took a look around. Ron smiled nervously. It's very nerve racking to have a very powerful wizard let alone the headmaster of your school standing in your room.  
"Ahhh.. You like the Cannons I see. They work together, that is what make them a great team."  
"Great!!" Hermione said. "They've lost every game."  
"Miss. Granger, great and good are two different things. If a team wins due to one or two excellent players then they are a good team. However, if a team can stick together through trying times and still be happy, then that is what makes them great."  
Hermione nodded while a blush crept up her face. She wasn't used to having teachers lecture her. Meanwhile Ron was wearing a big smile on his face and Harry was sure that Ron's opinion of the Headmaster had just gone up a few notches.  
Turning back to all of his students Dumbledore grew serious.  
" It seems as though Voldermort has gained power much faster then we expected. We are not sure exactly how it happened, but due to the increased threat I have decided that it is probably a good idea for all of you to return to Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer. Since all of you have a close relationship with Mr. Potter, much as I hate to admit, you all are in higher danger. Therefore, all of you will be given special training to deal with the increased risk. Are there any questions?"  
"No sir."  
"Very well. Please gather all you things immediately. We must leave at once."  
Dumbledore turned and left the room. A flurry of activity followed. Harry did everything the normal way instead of just snapping his fingers. He didn't want to stand out. Fifteen minutes later, they assembled themselves in front of the fireplace.  
"Just say Hogwarts and you should floo to the Great Hall. You first Harry."  
Harry let out a breath before yelling, "Hogwarts." And disappearing in a cloud of smoke. 


	8. Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I don't own it  
  
Harry tumbled out of the fireplace and into the Great Hall.  
"Well that was fun." Harry grumbled sarcastically.  
"Glad you could join us Potter." Someone sneered.  
Harry turned to meet the all to familiar sneer of Professor Snape; defiantly not the first thing he wanted to see at Hogwarts.  
"Good evening Professor." Harry said as politely as he could manage.  
"Quite. Causing a stir already? My, my, and the term hasn't even started yet. Trying to break a record?"  
Harry just ignored the question and a thing he did too because the next instant Dumbledore appeared in the fireplace.  
"Ah, Serverus, glad you could meet us. Could you please gather all the teachers together and bring them here while I escort our summer students to their quarters."  
Snape gave the headmaster a curt nod and a sneer to Harry and his friends. He turned away grumbling, "just like his father." Dumbledore turned to the group and smiled.  
"Well we must be off. All of you will be staying in the Gryffindor dormitories as usual. The password is 'Istar.' Your things have already been placed inside. Now Harry, if I can talk to you privately please."  
"Yes professor."  
The group split up and Harry followed Dumbledore to the entrance of his office. After saying the password 'licorice wands' they ascended up the staircase. They sat down and Dumbledore looked at Harry. This time there was no sparkle in his eyes, so Harry knew he meant business.  
"Harry I understand that you want to protect your friends, however I must insist that you tell me everything."  
"But sir, I can't. Besides I'm not sure what everything means myself."  
"I might be able to help you solve part of the problem, but you have to tell me what you know."  
"Very well professor on one condition. You said that one day you would tell me why Voldermort wanted to kill me in the first place."  
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and nodded. Harry then began to tell his story. He included the information about Merlin's wand because he reasoned that it was highly unlikely for Dumbledore to be placed under a truth potion.  
Through the explanation, Dumbledore's expression didn't change a bit. When Harry finally finished all he did was nod slowly.  
"Well professor?"  
"It seems as though you have answered your own question Harry. However, I must admit that I only thought that you were the heir of Gryffindor. The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin is legendary and I thought that Voldermort was only trying to eliminate the Gryffindor line. That sounds like motive enough. The fact that you are the heir of all four Hogwarts founders and Merlin seems to change things."  
"Do you think Voldermort knew?"  
"I highly doubt it. Are you sure you want to know the truth?"  
"I'm positive." 


	9. The Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own it.  
  
Chapter 8- The Truth  
  
"If your positive. It all began a long time ago. Whenever as dark wizard arose there was always a group of people that fought back. Around Merlin's time, this group became more organized and began calling themselves The Order of the Phoenix. They would fight to bring down dark wizards of the world then dispand after the wizard was defeated. When Voldermort started to gain power, the Order was called up once more. Your parents were key players in the order and were a highly secret object to hide. Voldermort knew this and desperately sought after this powerful object. If he ever obtained it, it would give him nearly infinite power. It might have seemed easier to just destroy the object, however that was impossible at the time. It was the only leverage we had against the dark forces. Needless to say, the protection of this object was of the utmost importance. Your parents were placed under the protection of Peter and when he betrayed them, Voldermort went after your parents. He killed them both and went after the object, however a problem came up. He found you too. He could sense that here was something different about you and he feared it. He may not have known exactly what it was, but he knew he had to get rid of it. The rest is history." "Professor, how could he have felt anything? I was only a baby at the time." "Power knows no age Harry. You may have gained full knowledge of your powers on your birthday but they were always there." "So, Voldermort wanted to kill me because he sensed my power and feared it?" Harry asked skeptically. "That is my opinion of the matter." Harry thought for a moment. Then a thought struck him. "When the dementors come near me I can hear Voldermort killing my parents. I thought that Voldermort was coming specifically for me and that my parents were trying to stop him." "Well Harry, in a way he was. Your parents had hidden the object in your room. It actually looked like a toy so they thought it would be safe in there. When Voldermort arrived, your parents knew that he wouldn't hesitate to kill a baby boy as long as he got what he wanted. They were trying to protect you and the object at the same time. Do you understand Harry?"  
  
"I think so." "Good. Do you have anymore questions?" "Yes as a matter of fact. What exactly were my parents guarding?" "Ahhh, Harry, I am afraid that is one thing I cannot tell you. It would endanger far too many people. Besides," he said with a smile, "It seems to me that you don't need my help getting into more trouble." Harry smiled. "Good-night Professer." "Good-night my boy." Harry walked out of the office and headed back towards the Gryffindor common room. "What could have been so important that my parents had to die for?" Harry wondered. He pondered this question until he reached the Fat Lady's portrait. "Istar." He said absently. He walked in to see that all his friends had waited up for him. They were all sitting silently and staring into the fire. "Hello everyone." Harry said. The whole group jumped. "Don't sneak up on us like that." Fred said. "Yeah, you almost gave me a heart attack." George said before dramatically clutching his heart and falling over. Harry just shrugged and sat down between Ron and Ginny. "So what did Dumbledore have to say?" "He just wanted to know what happened." "Did you tell him?" "Yep." "Everything?" "Yes Ron, everything." "Well.. What'd he say?" Harry then proceeded to tell the whole story and when he was finished he had a gaping audience. Hermione finally broke the silence. "I wonder what they were guarding?" "I want to know the exact same thing, but all Dumbledore said was that it was in my room." "Well that's not much help." Ginny said. "Still it's too late now to think about it. We have a busy day tomorrow according to Sirius, beginning with potions and I personally don't want to start off the summer by getting yelled at by Snape." "Your probably right." Harry said. "It's a good idea if we all went to bed. We'll need our rest." "Go on ahead guys." George said. "We'll be right up." "What are you planning to do?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Oh nothing." Fred answered in an all too innocent voice. Hermione just shook her head and headed upstairs, followed closely by Ginny. George looked to see if they were really gone before turning back to the remainder of the group. "Ready for a little fun?" Ron groaned. "You aren't going to start pranking already? School hasn't even started yet." "What?" Fred said in a highly offended tone. "It is never too early to start pranks. Besides, it's our last year at Hogwarts. It has to be memorable." "Great. Just what we need." Ron mumbled. Harry suddenly jumped up. "Exactly!" "Exactly what?" Ron asked. "Pranks are just what we need. With Voldermort (flinch) back, what better way to lighten things up. We could bring back the Marauders." "How exactly are we going to do that?" Fred asked excitedly. "Easy, we'll just do random jokes, have nicknames, and reek havoc. It'll be fun." "Harry." Ron said. "There's a slight problem. You dad, along with Padfoot and Moony, in a way, were animangus. That's how they got they got their names. How are we supposed to do that?" "That part is easy." Harry said with a wave of his hand. "I'll teach you. Still, I think we'll need some outside help. I'm sure Padfoot and Moony will help us as long as school isn't in session." "Ooohhh this is going to be great. I can't wait to get started." Ron said. Fred and George were practically bursting with excitement. "Let's start right now." One of them said. "Hold on." Harry said. "If we are going to live up to the Marauder's reputation we're going to have to plan a bit. I think that Hermione and Ginny would be mad if we left them out anyway. Let's tell them and ask Padfoot and Moony for help first. Okay?" Fred and George looked as though they wanted to agree, but reluctantly nodded their heads along with Ron. "Alright then. I guess it's off to bed." The four went their separate ways. In his room Harry drifted of into hoping what would be a peaceful sleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
Thanks to everyone who sent me reviews. I really appreciate them. Please send more comments and any ideas that you have. 


	10. A Small Change

Chapter 10

Harry had never been a heavy sleeper. His roommates had gotten used to this slight problem and had placed a silencing charm around his bed. This may have been a good plan at the time, but this night was different. If the charm had been removed, Ron would have heard Harry screaming himself hoarse. Harry had been sleeping soundly at first, but was awoken when he felt a burning sensation flare up on his back. It spread from the middle of his back and continued to grow across his shoulder blades and onto his arms. If Harry could formulate a thought through all the pain he probably would be comparing this pain to the pain of the crutasius curse. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the pain subsided and Harry quickly fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

The next morning Harry woke up and sat up with a start. He quickly regretted that decision when pain shot up his back. It was only then that he remembered the night before. He slowly got out of bed and proceeded to put his trousers on. He reached for his t-shirt when he heard Ron behind him exclaim:

"Bloody hell Harry! What happened!?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Your back. Why didn't you tell me you got a tattoo?"

"What do you mean? I haven't got a tattoo?"

"Well you do now." Ron said.

He conjured up a large mirror so that Harry could see his back. When he saw what was there Harry gasped. Spread across the whole of his back was a phoenix. Its wingspan covered his shoulders and the tail came to the small of his back. And if a tattoo appearing in the middle of nowhere wasn't odd enough, the tattoo was moving. It looked and moved like a real phoenix.

"I guess there is no covering up the fact that it's a magical tattoo." Harry said jokingly. How else was he supposed to respond? He had really hoped that nothing else would happen that would make him stand out more, but so much for that wish.

"I guess it's time to go see Dumbledore again. I thought I could make it one week without going up to that office. Guess not." Harry said as he put on his shirt. Ron merely nodded and followed Harry down to the common room. Just before they walked into the open Harry turned to Ron.

"Look lets not tell Hermione just yet. She'll freak out and spend the entire day in the library. We're going to see Dumbledore so if he doesn't know what it is, I doubt Hermione would know. So  let's just keep this between ourselves for now okay?"

" Right Harry. No problem."

They stepped out and saw Hermione and Ginny by the fireplace looking over a large tome.

"Hi guys." Harry said. "Did you have a good night?"

"Yes." Hermione answered. "What about you?"

"Harry got a tattoo on his back." Ron blurted out. Harry turned just in time to see Ron slap his hands over his mouth.

"Good job Ron." Harry said as the two girls looked at him. "It's not that big of a deal really."

"Not a big deal!" Ron said. "It covers his entire back and it moves. Defiantly magical."

"Harry that's a really serious thing. Tattoos don't usually appear out of nowhere. Do you think that You Know Who has anything to do with it? Did you talk to Dumbledore yet? Does it hurt?"

"Whoa Hermione. Slow down. No. We're going right now. And sort of. That's all. We were just going to go to Dumbledore's office first before we gave you anything to worry about is all. It could just be another part of my inheritance. That's all."

Hermione looked skeptical. Harry and Ron had always had a habit of under playing lots of things unless  it was Quidditch. Still, ever since Harry had gotten his powers, there was no denying that he was different. It's just that Hermione wished they would take things more seriously. The war was picking up and Harry needed to be more aware of his role. In the end, Hermione just shook her head, maybe Dumbledore could straighten things out.

"Fine then. We're both going with you though."

"Well that's sort of a given, now that you know." Harry said.

With that the group headed out. Waking up the Fat Lady who wasn't too appreciative. Still, they made their way to the gargoyle. Harry opened his mouth to say the password, but much to his surprise, the statue bowed and moved revealing the staircase. Harry looked at his friends and just shrugged. How was he supposed to know what happened? They stepped on the stairs and moved up to the office. When they entered, they saw Dumbledore at his desk, pouring over what looked to be a set of very ancient scrolls.

"Good morning professor?" Harry said.

Dumbledore looked at the group over his half moon spectacles.

"Well good morning. To what do I owe this pleasure, especially this early in the morning?"

The group turned to Harry expectantly. Suddenly Harry didn't want to tell Dumbledore. He already had so much to deal with, why would he care about a 'little' tattoo.

"It's nothing sir." Harry said turning to leave. However. He was stopped by three people standing between him and the door.

"Tell him." Ginny said sternly.

" Did anyone ever tell you that you sound like your mother when your ordering people around." Harry said with a smile.

"Won't work. Tell him."

Harry sighed and turned back around to Dumbledore's twinkling eyes.

"Well sir, you see last night I kinda had a dream and woke up with a small change."

"Well Harry it can't be that bad. I assume your scar is fine because I don't see any change."

"It wasn't exactly my scar."

Harry turned and lifted up the back of his shirt. Behind him he heard Dumbledore gasp in surprise. That made Harry nervous because Dumbledore never sounded surprised at anything. This reaction definitely wasn't a good sign.


End file.
